Consider an internet user who lives and (primarily) works in a geographical area A, receiving service from some internet service provider ISP(A) server 104, as shown in FIG. 1A. When the user 100 travels to another geographical area B, the user connects to the internet via a service provider ISP(B) server 106 that serves area B. When the user 100 attempts to access his files, read email, or otherwise work from area B on his internet account hosted by ISP(A), then:                1. A logical data session is set up from the user's terminal (for example, PDA1 or laptop computer) in area B to an authentication server of ISP(A), so that the user first gets authenticated (for example, via login name and password).        2. Following authentication, the user can access over the internet 108 his account files and other user data 102 (for example, mail or text files) which reside on an ISP(A) server 104.        3. When increased security is required (for example, for business users), virtual private network (VPN) sessions may be established from the user terminal in area B to the ISP(A) server 104.        
Although user data files may be transferred to and cached on the user terminal in area B, the primary user data content 102 is stored in servers at ISP(A).
With increased travel mobility of business (and leisure) internet users, the above standard operational scheme creates data access latency and network congestion, given that any data access request needs to be transferred through a data access path 112 including a sequence of routers 110 connecting area B to A and (in response) user data files from area A to B in real time, potentially across the globe.
Moreover, some computing applications and information services (e.g., real-time applications, such as voice or video) suffer unacceptable levels of degradation when the latency is significant. Sending IP packets back and forth via VPNs halfway around the globe and thus transporting large amounts of data can hinder and even cripple such real-time applications and services.